The tribunal has sacked an Enugu Reps member and declared the LP candidate as the winner, reshaping the political landscape.
The election of Engr Simon Atigwe, the House of Representatives member for Igboeze North/Udenu Federal Constituency, has been invalidated by the bye-election petition tribunal in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. This marks a notable development.
On February 3rd, 2024, the rerun election was held and it was declared by the tribunal that Hon Dennis Agbo of Labour Party emerged as the legitimate winner.
Hon Dennis Agbo initially won his seat in the 2023 general election, but later on, the Court of Appeal annulled his victory. This resulted in a rerun being ordered for ten polling units.
Read Also: PDP Elects New Ward Executives in Taraba
Challenging the incomplete polling unit results that excluded APC scores, the candidate for All Progressives Congress (APC) lodged an appeal and subsequent petition.
Agbo was leading the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate by a margin of about 10,000 votes before the court-mandated rerun. The fact that Agbo’s victory has been upheld by the tribunal highlights both his substantial initial lead and the credibility of the electoral redo.
By reinstating Agbo as the representative for the Igboeze North/Udenu Federal Constituency, this ruling underscores the importance of impartial and exhaustive electoral procedures.
Moreover, it marks a substantial triumph for the Labour Party in that area and may potentially influence Ebonyi State’s political landscape down the line.
The verdict from the tribunal serves to reinforce the importance of having safeguards in place within our electoral process, guaranteeing that voters’ wishes are honored and maintained.